Shloka 4
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
प्रगृह्दा च महावेगं परासुकरणं दृढम् । सज्जं शरासन संख्ये शरैरविव्याध ते सुतम्,उन्होंने युद्धस्थलमें मृत्युकी प्राप्ति करानेवाले महान् वेगशाली सुदृढ़ धनुषको लेकर उसपर प्रत्यंचा चढ़ायी और अनेक बाणोंद्वारा आपके पुत्रको घायल कर दिया
pragṛhya ca mahāvegaṁ parāsukaraṇaṁ dṛḍham | sajjaṁ śarāsanaṁ saṅkhye śarair avivyādha te sutam ||
Sañjaya said: Taking up that firm bow of tremendous force—an instrument that brings death in battle—he strung it and, in the thick of the fight, pierced your son with many arrows. The scene underscores the grim moral atmosphere of war, where skill and resolve are turned toward lethal ends and the fate of one’s own kin becomes the measure of suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of war: martial excellence and readiness, though valued in kṣatriya-dharma, become instruments of death. It implicitly points to the tragic cost of conflict, where even rightful prowess results in grievous harm and deepens collective suffering.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a warrior takes up a powerful, deadly bow, strings it, and in the battle wounds Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son with many arrows—signaling a decisive, violent exchange on the battlefield.